Dad Breaks His Cardinal Rule - California Here I Come to Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park!

I know Dad doesn’t smoke any wacky weed, so maybe it was the wildfire smoke that affected his mind.  Or maybe it was just his desire to fulfill his beloved Rambling RV Rat’s wish to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Whatever the reason, Dad broke his cardinal rule of NEVER RVing within California.  (Though we have visited many areas of the State through the years, none of the wheels on our RVs have ever touched a roadway in California).

 

But after RVing in Washington and Oregon, Northeastern California didn’t seem as bad as imagined.  Fuel prices were no higher in Northeastern California than they were in Washington and Oregon.  Unlike Washington and Oregon where I had to ride shotgun with Mom in the Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon, California allows double towing. (We researched the issue and verified with folks who do it regularly with even bigger setups than ours.  Furthermore, we passed by several California Highway Patrol Officers and even had one follow us for several miles.  Yet, none were compelled to pull us over for any violations.  FYI, our home state of Texas mandates my parents have a non-commercial CDL license, which requires passing both a written and road test.)

  

Moreover, as we traveled CA-36 and CA-89, it was hard to believe we were even in Dad’s ever-dreaded state of California.  Most of the Northeastern towns were unincorporated with small populations like Litchfield, with 30 people calling it home.   Alturas, the seat of Modac County, is an exception.  With 2,700 residents, it is the only incorporated town countywide, and it hasn’t changed much since its incorporation in 1901.  The terrain/topography in these parts of California was reminiscent of parts of Arizona, and like its Eastern neighbor, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seemingly is the primary landowner/operator.

 

We arrived at Days End RV Park in Standish, California.  It is a small, well-maintained, military-family-owned RV Park with approximately 30 sites, all but 3 of them occupied by full-timers and/or workers for CA-36, a nearby 2-lane roadway undergoing major reconstruction.  The Park has lovely flower beds, clean laundry, and friendly owners, all for $45/night, payable only by cash/check/debit card.

 

The next day, we headed over to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  You can see the devastating effects of the 2021 Dixie Fire that began in Chico, California.   That fire burned 1 million acres of forest land, including 70% of Lassen Volcanic National Park acreage.  From a distance, the lodgepole pines looked like toothpicks.

Devastation outside Lassen Volcanic National Park...

...and within the Park.

Some of the trees are in a bent position, as if taking a final bow for perpetuity.

 

We began our tour at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee (which means “snow mountain” in the language of the Maidu Indians) Visitor Center, taking in the film and retrieving my Junior Ranger booklet to earn another National Park badge (mission accomplished by this stuffed rat).  Interestingly, every rock found within the Park can trace it “ancestry” to volcanos.  Lassen Volcanic National Park has examples of all 4 types of volcanos: shield, cinder cone, composite, and plug dome, the latter represented by Lassen Peak at 10,457 feet above sea level.

 

Lassen Peak had its most recent series of eruptions beginning in 1914 and concluding in 1921.  But the eruption in May 1915 was the largest.  And, local photographer, Benjamin Loomis, was able to photograph the entire episode!  How cool is that!

 

We completed the auto tour of the Park and did some hiking, though a couple of the trails were closed for safety reasons (snow, fire-damaged areas, etc.).  Additionally, 90% of Lassen Volcanic National Park has been declared "Wilderness", thereby off-limits and/or beyond the exploration abilities of the average Park visitor like me and my parents.

Let me share some photos with you:

Sulphur Works.  This Park has the most active geothermal features within the Cascade Mountain Range. 

Brokeoff Mountain.

Diamond Peak in background of gorgeous wildflowers.

Bumpass Hell Pass.

Bumpass Mountain in background.

Emerald Lake, named for its water color.

Lake Helen.  Lassen Volcanic National Park contains more than 200 lakes!

Snow pack on Lake Helen can run 40 feet deep!

Views of Lassen Peak.

We hiked only a mile of the 5-mile (round trip) Lassen Peak Trail.  My parents were breathing so heavy, I thought they were making an obscene phone call!  In fairness to them, the trail starts at 8,500 feet above sea level.

Views of Summit Lake.

Benjamin Loomis's photo of the Devastation Area during the May 1915 eruption.

May 1915 photo...

..and the same rock photographed by yours truly in July 2025.

Then...

...and now.

Benjamin Loomis and his wife lived in this cabin on 40 acres of property near Manzanita Lake.  They also built a museum to house and preserve his photograph collection chronicling the volcanic eruptions.  The museum is now operated by the National Park Service within Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Chaos Crags.   Lava domes that were formed about 1,000 years ago.

Jumbles.  Rock avalanche from 300 years ago that dammed Manzanita Creek...

...thereby creating Manzanita Lake.

I have to post at least 1 photo of wildlife!

That pinecone on the top of the photo looks like it is on steroids, especially when it sits next to an "average" sized pinecone!

On our final day in California, we visited Susanville, Lassen County's only incorporated city.  It is home to the Susan River and several very cool murals.  Here's a small sampling:

It is also the location of the Bizz Johnson Trail.  Once a rail line for the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) converted it to a 26-mile hiking/biking trail with walk-in primitive campsites.   We clocked our 5 miles, and met some friends along the way!

Well, tomorrow we depart California.  You see, I learned the real reason Dad brought us to Lassen Volcanic National Park was because of the route he mapped out to take us to our next big destination and Mom's bucket list location:  Great Basin National Park.

Talk to you again soon!